Dealing with parking in Vermont Road

Myself and my ward colleagues Ruth Dombey and Marlene Heron met residents of one of the sheltered homes this week to hear their concerns about parking. Around 20 residents of Dorothy Pettingell House spoke about their concerns over fire-engines and dial-a-ride vans being blocked by parked cars in Vermont Road.

After receiving a petition recently, myself and colleagues carried out a house-to-house survey of Vermont Road households and those living on Angel Hill whose back garages open onto Vermont Road. You can see the full results of the survey here.

Standing in Vermont Road

Most people living in the road agreed there was a problem but over half rejected the idea – proposed by the sheltered housing – of introducing double-yellow lines outside the garages, fearing the displacement of vehicles would increase parking pressure on the residential section of the cul-de-sac.

Councillors agreed that we needed to explore alternatives to double-yellow lines, and our meeting with the elderly residents of Dorothy Pettingell on Tuesday morning was really helpful.

Something clearly needs to be done, and we would like to see an holistic solution that addresses both the concerns of the sheltered block (fire engines being blocked) and the local residents (parking pressure).

There are a number of possible options, and we are seeking the views of council traffic experts before returning to consult Dorothy Pettingell House and the households of Vermont Road and Angel Hill. We are considering holding a joint meeting of households and sheltered housing residents once we have worked up more detailed options. Watch this space…